Beauty is beastly
by Nina S Spice
Summary: A different look at Beauty and the beast.


Beauty is beastly

Long ago in this very village lived a prince in a castle. This prince was strong and courageous. He was so mighty that he told his father the king that he would go with his troops to battle the beasts of the west that were wreaking havoc on the villagers. His father agreed and told his son to destroy the beast king so that he may never cause harm to his villagers again.

So the prince went off to war. He fought with much strength and destroyed every beast in his path to the king. After 10 years of fighting the prince was soon face to face with the king. They battled sword to sword, beast against human. The prince was triumphant slaying the beast king but as he stood above the dead beast king a women appeared before him. She dropped to her knees in front of the beast and wept. The woman was ugly with white hair that fell to her waist and had twigs and leaves and mud stuck to it. Her face was covered in warts. She had a crocked hooked nose and black teeth. The prince stood there bewildered. Then she spoke.

"You have killed my only love now you must serve the same fate as I. Your lover will die, but in return she will give you a child that you will be forced to give up." The woman said through her tears.

"And if I don't give up the child what shall happen?" the prince asked.

The woman started to cackle, the sound almost made the princes ear drums break. "If you do not do what must be done then on the child's 18th year this very village you wanted to protect will be destroyed. The sea will rage and the land will shake killing everyone for miles. Your beautiful kingdom brought to ashes."

"How do I stop it?" the prince asked scared to know what must be done.

"The child must be killed by your very hand for if it is another's the curse will still remain. Only you can stop this curse." The woman cackled. Rain started to pour from the heaves almost seeming to cry for the prince.

"Now leave prince. Go to your wife she is with child and in nine months you must do what must be done." The woman said, "And prince if you try to kill the child before it is born the curse will also remain. You must kill it while it is in your arms." The woman smiled as she cursed the prince showing every one of her blackened teeth.

"You witch," the prince yelled shocked and angered at what she has said. Shocked from hearing his wife was pregnant and angry because of what he must do. He ran at her, sword raised but by the time he got to her she was gone. "Now go great and noble prince. Tell your father what has happened here." The wind seemed to mock around him.

The prince did go back to his great castle and he did tell the king all of what has happened. The king frightened and sad for his grandchild's life order for the best white witches to the castle to reverse the curse that was placed on his son. Many white witches came and tried to get rid of the curse but no one could. Months went by and with each passing day the prince grow worrier of his task. On the last month before the baby was born the prince promised his father that he would carry out the task that must be done. He would protect the villagers and the kingdom he loved by doing so.

After he made this promise to his father his wife went into labor. The prince was by his wife the entire time when the baby was finally born she held her and said, "My beautiful baby, your name shall be Belle because you truly are the meaning of beauty." She died soon after that, with her child in her arms. The prince with tears in his eyes took the child from her lifeless body and held his daughter close.

Through his tears he could see the most beautiful baby he's ever laid eyes on. She looked so much like the woman he loved. The prince knowing what he needed to do pulled out the knife tucked away in his boot and turned it to the child. With shaking hands he lowered the knife to his daughter's neck. As the tip of the knife was about to touch the child, Belle opened her eyes. He stared at the eyes so much like his own. Belle blinked her light blue eyes up at the prince and in that moment he couldn't do it. He dropped the knife and hugged the now crying child to his chest.

He could not kill her he could not believe such a beastly curse was on this beautiful child.

"What happened to the baby, momma?" five year old Belinda Thomson said interrupting her mother's story.

Sarah Thomson laughed at her daughter, "Belinda, it is past your bed time and you already know the ending of it." She said as she tucked Belinda tighter into bed.

"But I love this story momma." Belinda said pleading that her mother would finish the story.

"Okay, now where was I aww yes?" Sarah said as she continued the story.

As the prince cried over his daughter's life a white witch came to him. The white witch has been with the prince since the very first day. She told him, "I will take the child and keep her safe."

"What of my father?" the prince asked remembering his promise.

"I shall create an illusion. You will send him a doll but to him it will look like a real child as to not worry the king and him thinking you kept your promise." The white witch said wanting desperately to help this broken man.

"And the child's curse? What of that?" he said remembering the witch's words.

"I cannot get rid of the curse but I can change it. I know I can now that she is here I know I can." The white witch pleaded.

"Then go make this doll and then flee with my child." The prince said placing his daughter into her hands. "But first your name white witch."

"My name is Clarimonde." She said as she bowed her head.

"Clarimonde I leave you with my most precious daughter and I beg of you change her fate." The prince said tears threating to spill form his eyes again.

"I will my prince I will do everything in my power to change this beautiful child's fate." Clarimonde said falling in love with the child at just one look.

"Flee into the village." The prince instructed. Clarimonde listened to the prince and set to work on the doll. Just before dawn the next day Clarimonde fled on a horse with the baby tucked into the front of cloak pressed tight against her.

Clarimonde made it to her home town be sunset that day. She only stop when the baby cried which was shocking every little. She hurried into the house making sure no one saw her as she went inside. She laid the baby in a wooden box for that was all she had for the baby and set to work to change the curse.

"She changed it didn't she mamma?" a sleepy Belinda yawned lifting her sleepy eyes.

"Yes child, Clarimonde did change the curse." Sarah said smiling at her daughter.

Clarimonde worked for two years on changing the curse but finally she did. On the girls second birthday her mother gave her a rose and said these words,

"Dear child of beauty you are to no longer be the end of this world but the beginning of someone's. You will destroy only this person's heart and yours as well for him to be awaken again and your true beauty to be known. You will experience hatred, sorrow, and regret for this person but in order for you to save this world you must both be destroyed and born again through your love."

So the white witch Clarimonde and the princess of our kingdom lived a peaceful life until Belle fell in love.

"But that is a story for next time Belinda, time for bed." Sarah said as she kissed Belinda's head.

"But mom you always say that. I want to know how it ends. What happens to Belle and the one she loves?" Belinda wined.

"I will tell you in due time my dear, but you need to get to sleep." Sarah said as she took the candle on Belinda's nightstand and walked out of the room. Belinda soon fell asleep dreaming of princes and castles and of a one true love.


End file.
